Of Tattoos and Sigils
by OneWhoSeesOnlyDarkness
Summary: Seraphina "Era" Grey was a college student when the organization known as Typhon kidnapped her and turned her into the assassin known as Sigil. Fast forward 40 years, now she is an ex-assassin and ex-agent of SHIELD living a normal life. But Typhon has reemerged and the Avengers need her help. (I only own Sigil and Typhon, everything else belongs to Marvel. Possible Romance later)
1. Chapter 1

Era walked down the streets of Budapest, her eyes fixed on the horizon and her hands shoved deep in her pockets. There was strange feeling in the air around her and the people of the city avoided her because of it.

Not that they didn't avoid her under normal circumstances, she was… odd to say the least.

Era was tall, about 5'10'', and fair with sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw. Her waist-length hair was primarily midnight black but it had a single thick streak of steely grey that ran through it. Her eyes were such a pale blue that they were white around her pupils, fading out to a light blue lined with black around the iris, giving them an icy and shocking appearance. She was very muscular, her limbs thick and strong, and she was lean. To say she was imposing was an understatement.

"Era," a cool feminine voice purred from behind her, causing Era to freeze in her step.

Era turned and a large grin split across her face at the sight before her. Natasha and Clint stood on the sidewalk, each in civilian clothes as Era was. Natasha's signature bright red hair was tucked up in a baseball cap. They looked like a couple of tourists enjoying an evening walk.

Era felt a little twinge in her chest at the sight of them, but she ignored it and went up to them, giving each of them a hug. It had been way too long.

Leaning back from the hug she was giving Clint, she looked each of them in the eyes "What's going on? Why are you in Budapest?" She noted how Clint avoided her eyes but Nat kept her gaze firm on Era.

"We need you to come out of retirement," Nat said bluntly.

Era's eyes narrowed dangerously, stepping away from Clint "I'm done with that. Besides, SHIELD is gone."

Clint smiled thinly "The Avengers are the ones who need you, Sigil."

Era hissed at the codename and look at both of them for a moment "Why?"

They looked at each other and Clint said in a soft tone "Typhon is back."

Era's eyes widened and she backed up two steps, fighting the urge to flee. A whisper escaped her lips " _No…_ "

Natasha was the one to continue "One month ago, we intercepted a Hydra communication. It took a few days to decode but it said 'Typhon activated.' We need you because you are the only person to be involved with Typhon and escape."

Era looked back and forth between them, wishing she could just turn and walk away, continue with her normal life, but she knew that wasn't a possibility. She nodded.

"I'll be outside Grand Central at noon exactly one week from now," Era told them, giving them each a thin smile before turning around and walking away.

The two ex-SHIELD agents looked at each other, then headed for the airport.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **I began this a short time ago and liked the way it was turning out, so I'm going to post it slowly. I dont know for sure if it will continue for long but if anyone has ideas to help continue it, I would appreciate it. I have more but not a whole lot. This is post Civil War but at a slight AU. The team isn't split up and Bucky isn't in stasis.**

 **Please Review and let me know what you all think and any ideas you may have as this story goes along. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

Era touched the black spandex stretched over armor with a soft reverence before pulling the costume from the box that had been its home for the past three years. She put it on and looked in the mirror.

She wore a tight turtle-necked shiny black spandex crop top with a bottom edge that tapered down to a point a few inches above her belly button. Her low riding spandex pants were similarly black and shiny. She wore a dark red belt with black pouches on it. On her hands was a pair of tight black spandex fingerless gloves. Over all that, she wore a mostly black coat. The coat was armored on the shoulders and upper arms and had three spikes down the upper arm. The sleeves were the same dark red as her belt, each broken by three black rings placed from the elbow down. The coat was as long as a trench coat but it reached the bottom of her butt, then split off into many strips that created a many-tails effect. On her feet she wore a pair of black combat boots with dark red laces and she had her hair tied back into a ponytail. She had put on makeup; black eye shadow and eyeliner with dark red lipstick.

Era hesitated, than pulled a tiny paintbrush, no more than three inches long, and a small container of black liquid out of the pouches on her belt. She stripped off her left glove, pushed up her sleeve, and sat down at her desk, setting to work.

When she was finished, there was a pair of wings painted into her skin. She placed the supplies back in her pouch and looked around the apartment that had been her home for the past few years. She turned and left.

When Era reached an abandoned area of the city, she pulled a dagger from a holster in her boot and slit open her thumb. Once she was sure the wound was bleeding sufficiently, she sheathed the dagger again and rubbed the bloody thumb over the wings, which didn't smear despite its still wet appearance. The tattoo-like thing glowed red and it seemed to absorb the blood. Then a rippling pain tore through Era. She had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out. The pain subsided and Era looked back to see the silhouette of a pair of black bird wings on her back. She flexed her muscles and watched the wings stir and give a weak flap. Contented they would work, Era tensed and jumped up, the wings carrying her into the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

Era stood outside Grand Central exactly when she said she would be there, leaning against the wall and watching the crowds pass by through half-hooded and sunglassed eyes, a cigarette at her lips.

She had been in New York for two days now and had, thus far, been building up the amount of clothes she had. She had donated everything from her home in Budapest except for her uniform and the few things she had brought with her when she had gone to Hungary in the first place , mailing them as she didn't trust herself not to lose them over the shining sea.

"Those are gonna kill you."

Era turned her head to look at Clint, who had appeared at her side and was leaning on the wall as well. She felt a small smile try to surface, but she kept her face neutral and drew the cigarette away from her lips, sending a puff of smoke in his general direction "No they wont. Not with my…" She tapped her wrist, where the wings still were, but they had faded to pale silver and would soon be gone. She dropped the cigarette in one of those bins they put on the top of trashcans before picking up the bag that had been by her foot, shouldering it and shoving her hands into the pockets of her new grey sweatshirt.

Clint grinned and turned, walking down the sidewalk. Era caught up with him and walked by his side. She noticed how quite a few people looked at him with awe and shock. A smile fluttered over her lips.

It only took them a few minutes to get to the Avengers Tower and Clint took them straight up to the front doors, ignoring the paparazzi that hovered outside. There was no handle on the door, just a scanner. Clint placed his hand on it and it scanned his hand, then the door slid open to allow them to go inside, closing before any of the paparazzi could follow them.

There were a few Stark Industries employees wandering around, doing their assorted jobs. Clint bypassed them and the primary elevator, leading Era to a private elevator that had a hand scanner off to the side instead of buttons. Clint scanned his hand and walked into the elevator when it opened a minute later.

"Communal floor," Clint said as they stepped onto the elevator.

"Yes, Mr. Barton," a woman's voice came from above. "Welcome to Avengers Tower, Miss Era."

Clint glanced at Era "Tony's AI, FRIDAY."

Era nodded and smiled a little. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. She opened her eyes back up when she heard a ding and she pushed off the wall, following Clint into the communal floor.

Several people sat around the room they came out in. A large blond man sat on the closest couch a few feet from a chair in which another blond man, with long hair this time, sat. At the furthest couch, there were four, sat a man with curly dark brown hair reading a book, a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. Nat sat at the bar on a platform on the opposite side of the room, nursing a glass of something clear, and a man sat next to her, conversing quietly with her, while doing something on a phone that looked like a piece of glass with projections on it.

Clint cleared his throat and the people in the room looked up. A slow smile spread over Nat's face and Era rolled her eyes, though her sunglasses hid them.

Clint smiled a little "Everyone, this is Seraphina Grey aka Sigil."

Era shook her head "Call me Era."

The closer blond man stood and walked over to her, sticking his hand out "Steve Rogers, ma'am."

Era pushed down the smile that threatened to surface at his politeness and instead gave him a mock-serious look through her lashes, though he wasn't actually that much taller than her, as she was the same height as Clint. "Oh, I'm quite aware, Cap'n."

Steve blushed lightly and dropped her hand, backing away. The second blond man stood and walked over.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Grey. I am Thor of Asgard." The man boomed, giving her a grin.

The smile actually surfaced for this man and she snickered softly "Its quite lovely to meet you as well, Thor."

The dark brown haired man set down his book and walked over, but kept his hands to himself and gave her a shy smile "Doctor Bruce Banner."

Era felt a twinge deep inside when she heard 'Doctor' but didn't think it showed on her face until she saw his change in expression. His face altered to show curiosity and sympathy.

Era forced a smile to her face "Its very nice to meet you, Doctor Banner."

"Bruce, please," he said, examining her face.

She hadn't noticed Nat or the final man come over from the bar, but suddenly the last man stepped between them, his hand stuck out towards her "Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, ex-playboy, philanthropist."

Era rolled her eyes again and, ignoring his outstretched hand, finally took off her glasses, polishing them with the sleeve of her sweatshirt "I'm aware. Though its not surprising you don't remember, we've met."

When Tony saw her eyes, his own lit in recognition "Ah, yes we have. Christmas 2010, right?"

Era snorted softly when she saw the expressions on the faces of the other Avengers "No, we didn't sleep together. Not for his lack of trying as he was very drunk and Pepper wasn't present to keep him in line. I was on assignment, my first solo assignment after joining SHIELD. I was watching him, making sure there weren't any more crazy Russians trying to kill him."

Tony grinned, "As I remember, you were pretty drunk too."

Era tilted her head and a slow smile spread across her face "Faking it." She turned to look at Steve again, ignoring Tony now "I've been informed that Typhon is back and you need my… expertise."

Steve nodded "Clint and Natasha have informed me that you knew the criminal organization known as Typhon very intimately."

Era shook her head "Understatement. Shall we sit?"

Everyone nodded and returned to their seats, though Tony sat on the other end of Steve's couch. Era sat on an empty couch and Clint and Nat flanked her almost protectively.

Era drew all of her energy in, trying to decide where to start. She scanned the group "Typhon is a offshoot of Hydra, focusing primarily on the occult and ancient rituals. Forty years ago, I was a college student studying a specific pagan ritual for my dissertation." She noted their various reactions to her age, as she looked no older than twenty-seven. "Typhon targeted me specifically and kidnapped me, forcing me to reveal what I knew about the ritual before…" she swallowed hard and felt Nat set her hand on Era's shoulder. "Before trying out the ritual on me. When it worked, they brainwashed me and turned me into an assassin, taking me in and out of cryo-freeze when they needed the unique abilities the ritual gave me. Primarily they sent me after enhanced individuals, mostly mutants. Then, about eight years ago, they made the mistake of sending me after Nat. SHIELD captured me and eventually worked their way through the brainwashing. I joined SHIELD after that. I didn't know Typhon's relation to Hydra until shortly before SHIELD fell, though I fear Fury finding out about Hydra existing within SHIELD was because of me."

It was silent for a long time after all that but, finally, Bruce spoke.

"I understand your reaction now," he said with a small smile.

Era chuckled and that broke the stiffness in the air.

"What's the ritual?" Bruce asked, looking honestly interested.

Era stood and stripped off her sweatshirt and took her tank top half off. She turned and showed them her back, where there was a gigantic tattoo of a crow. The crow covered her upper back, its wings outstretched and a strange symbol in its detailed chest feathers. There were a few feathers falling from the crow, five feathers that drifted down Era's back in an oddly deliberate pattern, a star. The entire image was black except for the crow's eyes, which were a deep crimson.

As she pulled her tank top back over her head, Era said, "Roughly translated, it was called the Blood of the Red-eyed Crow. It doesn't work unless that image is inscribed into the skin of the person who is performing the ritual." She sat and looked over them hesitantly "Using a specific, magically imbued liquid, I tattoo myself with a image, usually something small, that symbolizes something that will help me perform my task. It remains dormant on my skin, never fading and never washing off, until I give it a sacrifice, typically blood. The greater the sacrifice, the stronger it becomes and the greater effect it has on the physical world. Then the image will come to life."

"Magic?" Thor asked, interest sparking in his face.

Era waved her hand "Not Asgardian magic, but not natural all the same."

Tony snorted "Magic. No such thing."

"Would you be willing to demonstrate?" Steve asked, ignoring Tony.

Era hesitated, than nodded. She reached into her bag and pulled out the tiny paintbrush and vial, followed by the dagger and a rag. She carefully painted the image of Steve's shield on her left wrist, over the wings, than put the paintbrush and vial away before picking up the dagger. She hesitated, then cut the palm of her left hand and held her hand vertical, so the blood would pour down her palm. The blood hit the image and it started to glow, just as she used the rag to wipe up the rest of the blood on her wrist and stop the bleeding of her palm. Once again, pain flooded Era but it was gone quickly. She held out her right hand in a fist straight before her and a shield, slightly see-through and a grey-black color but otherwise identical to Steve's, appeared strapped to it.

Tony was on his feet in a flash, looking at the shield but not touching it "An illusion?"

Era shook her head and removed the shield, handing it to him and showing him that it was perfectly real "It wont last super long, a few hours at most if its not being used in a fight, but it's quite real and nearly indestructible."

Tony examined the shield and murmured quietly to himself.

"I will help you," Era said, watching Tony but speaking to the group. "But once Typhon is taken care of… I make no promises."

Nat touched Era's shoulder "I'll show you to your rooms. I suppose we are going to introduce you to the rest of the team tomorrow."

* * *

 **So, here's another chapter. I'd appreciate any ideas anyone wants to give me.**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Era found herself in uniform, sitting on a chair in a quinjet, her eyes closed and an aura of peace radiating off of her. She had her legs crossed and her hands were set gently on her knees. She wasn't quite asleep, nor was she exactly meditating, but something between. She could feel everyone around her, every breath they took and every movement they made. It wasn't magic like her tattoos were but a level of awareness that few people reached.

"We're here," Nat said from besides her, breaking her out of her trance.

Era opened her eyes and glanced out the window and down at the large facility with the 'A' on the roof that was also on the side of Avengers Tower. She saw three people outside, flying around the building; one with gigantic wings, one just flying, and one with her hands braced out and moving unsteadily. It seemed the other two were helping the girl learn. The three of them saw the quinjet circling and landed, heading inside.

They landed on the landing pad attached to the building and filed out. When Era stepped out into the sunlight, she hooded her eyes with her eyelids and followed Nat inside.

"Cap!"

An African-American man with what appeared to be a jetpack attached to his back walked up. Era recognized him as the one with the wings who had been flying outside.

"Sam," Steve said warmly, clapping the man on the shoulder and angling himself to draw the new man's attention to Era. "Sam Wilson, this is Seraphina "Era" Grey aka Sigil. Era, this is Sam Wilson…"

Era cut him off "The Falcon." She tilted her head and gave him a soft smile "Pleasure."

Sam grinned at her "So you're the famous Sigil that Clint and Natasha have been telling us about." He turned his attention to Steve "Everyone is waiting in the training room."

Era glanced at Clint, who smiled at her. She rolled her eyes in response and turned to follow the rest of the group into a large training room. There were five other people waiting for them in there. A purple-skinned man, who had been the other flying man who had been outside, a brown-haired young woman who had been the one trying to learn to fly, a man with silver hair, a man in a funny red and grey body suit and a helmet tucked under his arm, and a long, dark-haired man who stood off to the side and was a brooding presence.

"Friends!" Thor boomed in greeting, setting his large hand on Era's shoulder. "This is Lady Era Grey, known as Sigil and ex-assassin of the enemy Typhon!"

Era flinched in response to Thor's bluntness. She noticed how Sam's head whipped around to look at her and the man in the full-body suit took a wary step back. The purple-skinned man didn't react but the last three, they became abruptly more interested in her.

Steve huffed a laugh and waved the group over. Once they were over, he began introductions "Era, this is Vision, Wanda, Pietro, Scott, and Bucky."

Era smiled at them gently and looked over the group "It is nice to meet you all. I wish it was under better circumstances." She turned back to look at the senior Avengers "Do you have somewhere for me to work? I need to create more of the mixture and begin stocking up on my sigils."

Tony nodded with a strange smile "Follow me."

Era followed Tony silently from the room, forcing herself to ignore the stares.

* * *

 **Not very long, but its something. I appreciate anything anyone can give me to help with ideas. More will be revealed about Era's powers over the next chapter or two.**

 **Please Review. It helps inspire me.**

 **See ya later, Stalkers.**


	5. Chapter 5

Era sat on a couch on the communal floor of Avengers Tower a few days later in nothing but a tank top and a pair of running shorts and a paintbrush in her hand. She carefully, using the magically imbued ink, painted a series of sigils all along her legs and around her upper chest, each for a different purpose.

They had spent a little while at the facility but had returned to the Tower the next morning. Those who had been staying at the facility were apparently going to be arriving at the Tower.

Era froze when she heard the chime of the elevator, but continued painting the silhouette of a cat just below the bend of her elbow. She didn't look up when she heard a few people walk into the room.

"This is your power?" A woman's voice, accented thickly, spoke from in front of her.

Era looked up at Wanda, who stood over her with an interested look on her face. Pietro stood a few feet behind his sister with Vision at his side. Scott was already in the kitchen-area off of the living room of the communal floor and Bucky still lingered in the doorway.

Era returned her gaze to Wanda "Sort of. This is so I can use my power."

Wanda's head tilted curiously "I do not understand."

Era stood, causing the other woman to step back to her brother's side, and set her paintbrush on the table next to the inkwell that had been holding the mystic ink. She picked her dagger up from where it had been sitting next to the ink. She noticed how all of the other people stilled when she wrapped her fingers around the blade. She gave them all a thin smile, than sliced her hand open. She paused, considering all the new images she had inscribed into her skin, then rubbed the bloody wound over the cat image she had just made.

The image glowed and pain ripped through Era, sending her to her knees with its strength. It was rarely this strong, but the amount of sacrifice was greater then the few drops she had used on the shield and wings, which had both been only a few drops.

After a moment, the pain faded and she looked up at her audience. Her pupils had gone slitted like a cat's and there were claws coming out of each of her fingers. She stood back up.

"The image determines what I want, though there is sometimes variation," Era spoke, exposing canines that had transformed into fangs. "And the sacrifice determines how much it will effect the physical world." She showed them her claws. "More sacrifice then what I gave it may turn me completely into an feline for a time."

"Mystic power that relies on sacrifice?" Vision asked rhetorically. "Where did this ritual originate?"

Era gave the synthetic human an assessing glance "There are many groups all over the world who practiced a similar ritual but this one originates from an Egyptian cult. It was altered a little to make it easier to apply, if more painful."

"What are the limits?" Vision asked.

Era shrugged "Whatever my body can handle." She glanced over the group "I can even mimic powers if I need to." She looked back to Vision "With this activated, I'm far more flexible then a human." To stress her point, she did a standing backbend beyond the limits of what should be possible for a human, essentially folding herself in half. She righted herself and jumped up onto the back of the couch, walking along it without making it tilt or struggling to stay up at all. She gave them a coy look "Also better balance and cat-like senses."

Pietro got a strange look on his face and Wanda smacked him in the back of the head when she saw it.

Scott munched on a sandwich as he came out and stood next to Bucky, who was stoic as ever.

"You said it was painful," the metal-armed ex-assassin said, his bland expression remaining. "What are the side-effects?"

Era froze where she stood on the back of the couch and paled. She remained silent for a long moment before turning and connecting eyes with Bucky, a hard expression taking over her face.

"I heal faster then most humans," she started. "Unless my skin is cut by something made of onyx. I got this," she reached up and touched the steel grey streak in her hair. "I'm stronger and faster then most humans even without using the sigils." She hesitated "The magic reacts poorly with the reproductive system. The likelihood of me ever being able to have children is slim to none."

Something flashed in Bucky's eyes, too fast for her to see what it was.

"Era…" Pietro said, trailing off as he didn't know what to say.

Era looked over at the silver-white haired man and gave him a smile before allowing herself to drop off of the couch again. She grabbed up her dagger, paintbrush, and inkwell before brushing past them on her way to the elevator.


	6. Chapter 6

Era lay back on one of the bench presses in the training room, her eyes fixed on the ceiling as benched 450lbs, the extra strength having resulted from the tattoo on her arm, which was fading. She was stronger then most women and most men as well, but the tattoo had given her a small boost that made lifting this weight far easier. She had remade the symbol on her hip after she had left the communal floor. Now she sat, working off the stress that using the sigils always produced. She was antsy, feeling like a caged lion, and this was the best way to work it off.

When Era heard the elevator open on the other side of the room, she settled the weight back on its rack and sat up, not looking at the person who had walked in. The tattoo had heightened her senses as well, so she knew who it was purely from his scent, which she had caught when she walked past him before.

Era stood and walked over to the boxing ring over to the side of the room and slid through the ropes before finally looking at the man lingering in the doorway.

Bucky was… handsome as all the male members of the Avengers were. But there was a stillness, a quiet about him that the others didn't have. His resting face was grim and there was a haunted look in his eyes. Era knew that look well; she had seen it on her own face every time she looked in the mirror.

Era rose an eyebrow at him "Care to join me?" She knew he was here to apologize and that was her signal that all was forgiven.

Bucky hesitated, than unzipped his baggy sweatshirt, shedding it onto the ground. The sweatshirt was quickly followed by his t-shirt, leaving the super soldier in only a pair of low riding grey sweatpants.

Era assessed him quickly, taking in the scars that extended from where the metal arm attached to his skin. She watched him slip into the boxing ring before she shed her own shirt, leaving her in a black sports bra only. She watched him, waiting for his reaction.

Bucky's eyes fixed on Era's stomach and sides, which were riddled with pale scars, each more silvery-pale then bright pink and puckered. He raised his eyes back up to meet hers. He had seen her stomach before but that had only been for a short time when they first met.

Era smirked "Hazard of the job. Just because I heal faster then most humans, doesn't mean that I can heal everything." Dismissing the topic, she turned and walked to the other side of the ring as him and got ready.

They stared at each other for a long moment before, at some unseen signal, they simultaneously attacked.

Era's leg clashed hard with Bucky's metal arm with such force that he slid a few inches. Bucky's arm wrapped around her leg and twisted at such a force that she was pulled right off her feet. She landed on the ground in a push-up position. She leaned forward, balancing on her hands, and wrapped her legs around one of his. She twisted, knocking his feet out from under him. He caught himself with his metal arm but it gave her enough time to flip back to her feet and back away.

Bucky was back on his feet a second after she. He swung his fist at her and she ducked underneath it, coming up right against him. She braced her hands against his shoulders and flipped her body up until she was doing a handstand on his shoulders. She allowed herself to complete the flip over him, connecting her feet against the middle of his back and using her momentum to push off of him and land on one knee on the ground while he stumbled forward. Bucky whirled back around as she stood and turned back to him.

Era dimly heard the elevator opening. She ran for Bucky and dropped just before his fist could connect with her, sliding between his legs and coming up on his other side facing his back. He spun before she could do anything and his fist connected with her stomach.

Era stumbled back and flinched. A concerned look flashed over Bucky's face, but her grin made it fade. She darted forward and grabbed his shoulder, wrapping her thighs around his neck and twisting her body, throwing him to the ground. She landed delicately in a crouch.

Clapping interrupted their fight and both Bucky and Era stood and turned to look at their audience.

Steve, Vision, Wanda, Nat, Clint, Pietro, and Scott stood off to the side. No one but Pietro was clapping, but the others looked vaguely approving. Pietro quit clapping and walked forward.

"You are very fast, атентатор," The Sokovian male said, an approving gleam in his eyes.

Era examined him for a moment, than said something very quickly in Sokovian. Pietro's mouth dropped open in shock and his face flushed. His sister and Nat started laughing.

Scott frowned at Wanda and Nat "What did she say?"

Vision was the one who answered, as the two women were having a hard time collecting themselves. The purple-skinned man didn't take his gaze off of the two in the ring; merely stating "You don't want to know."

Bucky walked up next to Era, leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Era froze, looked at him, and laughed.

"Thank you," she chuckled mildly before walking to the edge of the ring and slipping out.

Bucky watched her go, than followed her out of the ring, pausing to scoop her shirt off the floor.

Nat handed Era a towel and a water bottle. Era wiped the sweat off of her arms and chest before she opened the bottle and began drinking. Bucky passed her shirt to her and she slipped it on. Bucky picked his shirt and sweatshirt off the floor but didn't put them back on.

"Very impressive fighting ability," Steve said with a broad smile.

Era smiled back at him "Well, I've had forty years of practice. Not a super soldier and not the Black Widow, but I can hold my own pretty well." She tapped her arm, where the cat tattoo she had activated before was only two shades darker then silvery-grey. "This helps." She extended and retracted the claws the tattoo had given her.

Bucky leaned over and placed his lips by her ear "I think that next time we should try out your claws." There was a half-hearted flirtiness that gave Era pause.

Era leaned away from him and looked into his blue eyes and finding nothing but humor, she responded, "I would _love_ that." She reached up and traced a singly claw over his collarbone before turning and walking to the other side of the room to a treadmill.

Era noted how Steve went to the punching bags, Vision and Wanda went into the vacated boxing ring, Nat and Clint went into the shooting range with Pietro, and Scott went over to the free weights. There was a hesitation, than Bucky got on the treadmill besides the one she ran on.

Era didn't run as fast as Bucky, but she ran for a long time. It was about two hours later that she finally slowed and stopped. Bucky had gotten off a half hour before and had taken over the bench press. He had only added a little more then what she had been benching before.

Era walked over to the punching bags and took up station next to Steve. She hit the bag bare-knuckled until she felt a minor burning on her arm. She looked down at the mark on her arm, which glowed and faded away. Her claws retracted and vanished, as did her fangs. Her senses flickered as they became less feline and more human.

"Finally," she said.

Era turned away from the punching bag and walked to the elevator. She had FRIDAY take her up to her floor, which she shared with Wanda. There were two massive suites on the floor with a sitting room between them. Era's was mostly white with cream carpeting and drapes and ebonized mahogany. The furniture was similarly ebonized mahogany and the tabletops were white marble. The wall behind the four-poster ebonized bed was covered in three mirrors. In the sitting room, the couch and chairs were all white. The bathroom was primarily black marble, including the floor, with white marble accents. The shower was glass and the cabinets were metal. The tub was in the center of the room and faced a television on the wall. The toilet was in a small room next to the shower.

Era had already searched the entire suite for recorders and cameras, after being warned by Nat to do such. She had found four cameras and seven or eight electronic bugs. She had made sure they would never transmit anything again.

Era went and took a shower before sliding into her comfortable sweatpants and long sleeved t-shirt and settled into her bed to read.

* * *

 **I decided that, as Sokovia is supposed to be in South-Eastern Europe, near Serbia and Croatia, I decided to use the Serbian language as Sokovian, though if I use it in the future, there may be a mix of other languages in the area as well. Aтентатор, what Pietro called Era, is Serbo-Croatian for assassin.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm sorry its been so long since I updated. School and such. Hopefully, I'll be back to update soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

Era walked into the labs later that night, after waking up from another nightmare, her eyes searching the room in one, quick movement. Seeing no one, she walked over to one of Tony's glass Stark-computers and began typing on it, quickly bypassing the security protocols and beginning to search for what she wanted. She found it in a file and began reading.

She didn't hear the person walk into the labs, but suddenly, she sensed him behind her. She spun and stood in one quick motion, her hand lashing out to wrap around his throat. His hands instinctually came up to grip her arm. It wasn't until then that she realized who it was.

Bruce stared at her with wide eyes, his face going a little blue from lack of oxygen. She released him and scrambled away to the other side of the desk the computer sat on, panting heavily and trying to force down memories of her claws buried deep in people's internal organs while she choked them to keep them from crying out.

Bruce gasped and caught his breath. Once he was breathing normally again, he looked up at her with cool, assessing eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," Era stuttered, wrapping her arms around her stomach and not looking him in the eye.

"I'm alright," Bruce said softly and calmly. "Are you okay?"

Era raised her gaze to him, drawing on his calmness to relax herself "I'm fine."

Bruce's eyes flicked down to the screen she had been looking at and frowned "The Typhon file?" He looked back up at her with a question in his eyes.

Era twitched a little and reached up to touch her side softly; right over where some of her scars were "I was… curious. I wasn't sure how much you all knew about Typhon and wanted to know for future reference."

Bruce smiled and gestured at the _very_ short file "Well, obviously not much. Care to enlighten me?"

Era sat down on the edge of the table and waited for Bruce to sit down. She closed her eyes halfway, not daring to close them all the way because she knew what she'd see if she did.

"When I was a college student I was…" she hesitated "Foolish and immature as all college students are. I fell in with a bad crowd who taught me a bit too much about the occult. I used the knowledge I gathered to further my own gains and even found a few rituals the group had never even heard of before, including my ritual. When I reemerged from their control, I was a different person. But I had already caught the attention of Typhon, who had gone off radar after Hydra supposedly fell in World War II. Their leader, Alexander Golova, personally approached me. He tried recruiting me and, when that failed, he kidnapped me and arranged for a body matching my description to appear a few months after I disappeared. My parents died a few years before I got away from Typhon." Era swallowed hard and didn't look at Bruce because she knew she'd see that stupid pitying expression. She pushed back the sorrow and continued, "At first, they treated me well. A ploy to get me to reveal what I knew. That didn't work, so they moved on to torture. That had better results." Flashes of memory flickered through her head and phantom pains danced over her skin. "Once they got what they needed from me, they began to experiment. I, of course, was not the only one they tried the ritual out on but I was the only one to survive the process. They supposed it had to do with the fact I had participated in less deadly rituals previously and that had helped my body adjust to the occult rituals. After they got it all right, they wiped me and froze me for the first time. Then they started using me to kill."

Bruce adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and leaned forward "Do you know where they kept you? How often you were cryogenically frozen? How many people they had you kill?"

Era froze and thought for a minute then nodded "The lab they kept me in for most of my time there was somewhere in Eastern Europe. Southern Romania, I believe, or northern Serbia. I am not sure, however, of the other two questions."

Bruce nodded and wrote what she had said down on a notepad before setting it aside and looking up at her with that doctor-look "Now, what are you doing in the lab at…" he checked his watch. "3:24 am?"

Era gave him a wary look then smiled thinly before murmuring sarcastically "PTSD is a wonderful thing."

Bruce's face lit up in understanding. He smiled at her kindly "Same reason I'm up."

Era snorted "Superheroes with mental disorders. Wonderful."

Bruce gave her a wise look "It means we're alive. You cant live and not come out the other side unscarred."

Era laughed under her breath "Such sage advice for someone so young."

Bruce laughed because, though he appeared a good ten years or so older then her, she was older then him by twenty or thirty years.

Era hopped off the metal table she sat on "Come on, lets go watch a movie or something. Wallowing in the past isn't good for my health."

* * *

 **Wow, this chapter was surprisingly hard to write. So... I dunno.**

 **I like that Marvel characters have often shown signs of various mental disorders that regular people suffer with every day. As someone who has suffered from depression for years, it makes them more relatable. I decided that this must be at least a minor plot point within this story. Its always good to be reminded that you aren't alone in this fight.**


	8. Chapter 8

Era stared at the rolling credits with her feet pressed into Bruce's thigh, keeping them warm. The scientist was asleep, had been since about an hour after the third movie started.

She and Bruce had quickly discovered they both had a fascination with foreign movies. She, of course, could speak and understand most of the languages of the various movies. She had thoroughly enjoyed pointing out things that the translation for the subtitles missed and making rude comments at the actors in the language the movie was in. She rather suspected that Bruce understood more of what she said than most people would have.

Era looked away from the credits when she felt something tingle along her upper back, just where the crow's eyes were. She turned her eyes to look out the window without moving her head and saw the silhouette of a man, despite the fact they were many stories up and there was no ledge.

 _"Seraphina,"_ A cool, sultry, lightly accented man's voice purred. The sound was something she felt in her soul, rather then with her ears. It wasn't telepathy, not quite.

Era stood and walked over to look at the man's silhouette where the eyes should be "Jasper. I should have known you were still alive."

There was a chuckle, though the man's shape did not move _"Despite your best efforts, Albi."_

Era ignored the Arabic term of endearment "What do you want?"

The image in front of her finally moved, leaning closer. A few features were able to be distinguished from the blackness. The silhouette had a few of the characteristics of someone of Arabic descent, though she couldn't see the shade of his skin nor anything else of discernible quality. She, however, knew _exactly_ the tone of his skin, the color of his eyes, and every quality in between. They had, after all, been lovers once.

Era pulled her dagger out of the back of her pants, making sure he didn't see her do it.

 _"To get my Habib Alby back,"_ Jasper said.

Era suppressed a hiss of pain as she slid the blade across her palm "It has been a long time since I've been your Habib Alby." With that, her hand darted out and hit the glass. She smeared a symbol onto the glass in her blood.

Jasper hissed in rage and his image vanished from the window.

Era looked back at Bruce, who was still sleeping soundly, and set about cleaning up the blood and scratching that same symbol with her dagger into the bottom corner of the window, so Jasper would not be able to use it to spy on them. She hesitated when she was finished and made a mental note to make sure to get the Avengers to each wear the symbol.

Era woke Bruce up and made sure he got to his own bedroom before heading to her own, where she climbed into the tub without turning it on and staying in her underclothes. Era took her blade and cut the symbol into her skin on the top of her leg, then allowed it to bleed. She leaned back in the tub and closed her eyes.

* * *

 **Alright, new chapter!. Let me know what you think.**

 **Side note: Jasper is going to be a member of Typhon and another of their successful 'experiments'. He is of Arabic lineage, obviously. There will be other people who show up from all over the world who are friend and foe. At the moment, I am planning out a sibling of Jasper's who may be helpful to the Avengers later and will likely be another of Typhon's experiments. Whether she or he is working with them or is inadvertently helpful is up to debate. I would love some input on what members of Typhon should be like or even ones who have been introduced already. Male/Female - lineage - appearance - abilities - etc. I will consider your OCs.**


	9. Chapter 9

"Era?" Steve asked as he knocked on the doorway to her suite. He looked around the room and didn't see her, so he went to her bedroom. Not seeing her, he went to leave and caught the scent of a lot of blood as he passed the bathroom. "Era?" He carefully nudged the door open and caught sight of her.

The bottom of the black tub was slick with slowly drying blood. The symbol on her leg had long since healed into nothing but a puckered shape but there was now a pair of still-bleeding cuts down each of her arms. Her eyes were slightly open and glowing brightly as the energy from the symbols she had gotten blood on resonated from her.

"Shit!" Steve said, running to the tub and checking for a pulse. When he felt it coming slowly, Steve lifted her out of the tub and carried her from her room and towards the elevator.

The door of Wanda's suite slammed open just as he reached the elevator, her eyes wild-eyed.

"What happened?" Wanda asked, running towards him. "I felt her energy." Wanda caught sight of the blood and her eyes widened.

"Get Banner," Steve growled as the elevator opened.

They both stepped inside and FRIDAY let Wanda off at Banner's and Steve's floor then took Steve and Era down to the communal floor. Bucky and Sam were sitting in the living area when the elevator opened and they both jumped to their feet when they caught sight of a blood-soaked Era and Steve, who was quickly becoming covered in blood.

"What happened?" Bucky asked with just a trace of a growl under his usual monotone.

"I don't know," Steve said as he walked to the hallway off the living area that lead down to the med-bay. "I don't know."

* * *

 **I know its short but I've been having major writers block for a few days. But I felt obligated to give you another chapter, my readers. Alright, please let me know what you think should happen next. I need some help.**


	10. Chapter 10

Era woke up feeling cold and shaky with a dull pain in her arm. She looked over and saw that there was an IV connected to her arm. There was a bright red mark down her arm from a wound that had healed closed hours ago.

Era sat up slowly and looked around the med-bay. There was no one else in the room, so she carefully removed the IV and stood up.

"FRIDAY? How long have I been out?" She asked.

"Approximately six hours, Miss Grey," The AI responded. "Mr. Rogers brought you into the med-bay four hours ago. He has been alerted that you are awake and is on his way with Mr. Barnes."

Era sighed and sat back on the table she had been lying on. She noticed a scorch mark on the floor and frowned "What's that from?"

"Your powers kind of exploded as I brought you into the med-bay," Steve said from just inside of the door.

Era frowned and looked at her arms; which were strangely bare of markings despite the fact she had painted on a bunch since arriving at the tower "Ah. Energy discharge from so many symbols being activated at the same time. They canceled each other out but the magical energy had to go somewhere."

Steve walked further into the room and Bucky followed him in. The dark haired man took up station against the wall and examined her thoroughly from head to toe. There was no heat in his gaze, just a numb concern. Neither man said anything. They didn't need to.

Era looked each of them over for a second before speaking "An old friend from Typhon used his powers to communicate with me last night." She looked down at the symbol carved into her leg. "I had an… extreme reaction." She shook her head "Its over. He shouldn't be able to spy on us in the Tower or if I'm around any of you again. I can sense him anyway and he knows that."

Steve shifted his weight uncomfortably but Bucky didn't even stir at the mention of someone spying on them. That gave Era pause. Perhaps his training was heightened enough that he would sense if Jasper was spying. Maybe he had sensed Jasper spying before. Or maybe his reactions were just too controlled and not reacting was a kind of reaction.

Era pushed herself back off the table and crossed her arms in front of her, looking down at the pair of shorts and tank top that weren't hers. Probably Nat's or something they had lying around. She dismissed the thought and looked back up at the two muscular men.

"So," she smirked, "I'm still a little dizzy from the blood loss. Who wants to help me back up to my room so I can get some sleep?"

Steve started to move towards her but stopped at Bucky's mild grunt that conveyed more to Era than to Steve, but the blond got the general message.

Bucky moved away from the wall as Era walked only a little unsteadily to his side. He didn't touch her or give her any physical help as Steve would have, which she appreciated, but his presence was still reassuring because he was there if she needed him.

They walked silently to the elevator, which was sitting open for them thanks to FRIDAY. They walked in and the elevator doors closed and the metal box started moving silently while they each leaned against the wall.

"Will you be repainting all those?" Bucky asked, jutting his chin towards her arms.

Era shrugged "Probably but I need to make more of the liquid I use as paint."

The elevator doors opened to Wanda and Era's floor as he nodded. Era and Bucky walked out of the elevator and over to her door.

"Wanda cleaned up the blood for you," Bucky murmured as Era opened the door and stopped.

Era turned back to look at him, pressing her back to the door, and smiled thinly "Its not that; I'm used to the blood." She hesitated. "I don't think I'm going to handle it at all well if I dream tonight." Her face twitched a little "PTSD and all that."

Bucky's lips thinned and he frowned "Era…"

Era smiled and opened the door wider in invitation. Bucky hesitated, than walked through the door. Era shut the door behind them with a soft click.

* * *

 **Its been a little while so I figured that I would update. Please let me know what you all think and have a good holiday season.**


	11. Chapter 11

Era woke up lying on her back, feeling warmer and safer than she had in years. Which was weird, because the person at her side was as deadly as she was. Era turned her head to look at the man beside her with a smile.

Bucky was lying on his side, facing her with his metal hand rested lightly on her hip. The cool metal contrasted nicely with his body, which gave off enough heat to warm her to a comfortable degree. He wasn't touching her other than his metal hand, but he was more relaxed than she'd seen him yet.

Era carefully slid out from under his hand and walked to the bathroom, trying not to pay attention to the faint scent of blood still in the room, despite Wanda's thorough cleaning. She shed her clothes as she went and climbed into the glass shower. She pressed a button on the wall and the glass misted over.

That afternoon, when Bucky had come into her suite, they had spent an hour or so just talking about random things, careful to avoid any subjects that would set off their PTSD. When Era had started growing tired again, it had taken quite a bit of persuading to get Bucky into the bed. She would have just let him watch television or something, but she read the weariness in every line of his body and in the bags under his eyes. They had ended up sleeping back to back in a way that was familiar for people like them who often had to share their sleeping space with other assassins or prisoners. Both of them had shifted closer over the night, but more than only a little touch was too much for even their sleeping bodies. Maybe if they knew each other better.

Era tilted her head when she heard the door open, looking over at the cloudy glass that was streaked with water. There was a short pause, than the sound of the door to the little room that housed the toilet reached her. She ran her fingers through her hair. She finished up and was out of the shower and wrapping a towel around her when Bucky came back out of the room. He shot her a little glance, than went to the sink.

Suppressing a chuckle, she slipped past him and went back to her room, starting to get dressed. Bucky returned to the bedroom just as Era was buttoning her jeans. She was still shirtless, but was wearing a bra. She raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed under his breath.

She donned a t-shirt and walked over to him, stopping right in front of him and looking up into his eyes "Thank you for staying with me."

Bucky's eyes smiled, though his face betrayed nothing "My pleasure." With that, he turned around and left.

* * *

 **Its short and rather fluffy, but its what I felt like after that almost death scene.**


End file.
